EventsSkepticism

TAM Pre-Game

For those of you living in caves, first of all, TAM is The Amaz!ng Meeting, held each year in beautiful Las Vegas. Second of all, why do you live in a cave, and what’s your rent?

But I digress.

I know many of you can’t attend this super fun event, so I’ll be blogging on Skepchick whenever possible, and when I can’t blog I will give quick updates on Twitter. If I’m able, I’ll upload pics to Flickr.

This brings me to you lucky folks who will be in attendance. This will be my fourth (and a half) TAM, so here’s some advice and things to keep in mind while you’re there.

First, I’ll highlight some fun events you should check out besides the lectures:

  • Thursday night is the cocktail party by the pool. It’s a great time to mingle and meet new skeptics. I’ll be there — please come up and say hello!
  • Friday and Saturday mornings, the entire SGU panel will be podcasting live on stage during breakfast. Come eat with us!
  • Friday night is the big SGU dinner at Trevi. There are so many people coming that we’re doing a fixed menu — details here. You don’t have to RSVP with the restaurant, but we will have a sign-up sheet at the SGU table on Friday and it’ll help us know the numbers if you jot down your name on the list.
  • Saturday night is my big party! I started hosting it for the JREF forum members, and these days everyone is invited. In previous years, we had a donation bucket to cover the costs, but this year the JREFfers gave enough preliminary donations that there’s no need. So, just show up with your drink of choice and we’ll call it even. Find me on Saturday and I’ll tell you the room number.
  • Sunday morning we’ll all be totally wiped out, but be sure to check out the paper presentations. Our own Teek is giving a talk, plus there will be a bunch of other speakers who are sure to be educationally entertaining.

Second, some general advice:

  • Don’t be shy. I know it’s tough for a lot of you, but if you see a bunch of people wearing nerdy t-shirts talking, don’t be afraid to go up and introduce yourself. There will be a lot of cool people there, who live in foreign places and work in interesting fields. Go find out more about them.
  • Tell the speakers how much you enjoyed their talks. Everyone likes to hear stuff like that, and then when you go home you can tell all your nerd friends that you spoke to Neil Degrasse Tyson.
  • Don’t make the cops break up another one of my parties. If I tell you to keep it down, keep it down, dammit!
  • Bring cash for a Skepchick and/or Skepdude calendar! (Sorry I forgot that one, A!)
  • Pick up a nerdy hottie. Seriously, TAM is packed with singles and it’s Vegas, so suck it up, buy him or her a drink, and try out a pick-up line.

If I missed anything, let me know in the comments! I can also try to answer any TAM-related queries you might have.

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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34 Comments

  1. Things Rebecca left out:

    If Sam doesn’t have a drink in his hand, get him one.

    If Sam has a drink in his hand, get him another. He’s likes a back-up.

    If you see Sam being taken to jail, raise bail immediately. Do not stop at the black jack table for 7 hours, go eat the breakfast buffet, sleep by the pool for half a day, and then remember him.

    Wear your Skepchick gear if you have it.

  2. If you see Sam being taken to jail, raise bail immediately. Do not stop at the black jack table for 7 hours, go eat the breakfast buffet, sleep by the pool for half a day, and then remember him.

    How many more times do I have to say “I’m sorry?”

  3. Two things:

    1) Really, Rebecca it totally serious when she says keep it down, dammit! Even though there’s growing geek pride that the parties keep getting busted up, it’s not so great actually, as then we have no where to party as one big crowd. (Duh.)

    2) Bring $$ for your Skepchick/Skepdude calendars. Srsly, they are teh hawesome, and who knows….maybe you buy a calendar, and there’s your in to discussing what is sexy with your new nerd hottie.

  4. One other thing, if you’re a regular commenter or even a lurker, if you recognize us, please corner us and introduce yourself. It’s always good to put faces with the names of those I annoy and piss off in this blog.

    Seriously though, I am always impressed with the readers on this site, and it would be great to talk to you all in person.

    I’ll be the tall-ish dude with no hair and a drink in each hand.

  5. a quick FYI, the Chicago people were confused when they met me because they were unaware than I am not a cartoon in real life.

    This is important information to have if you are trying to find us.

    The Skepchick team are actually flesh and blood humans.

  6. One of these years when I actually have some money, I’ll definitely have to come to one of the TAM meetings. Sounds like a hell of a fun weekend!

  7. “The Skepchick team are actually flesh and blood humans.”

    O RLY?

    The only reason I come here is to read other toon peoples articles. I’m a toon myself, so should be easy to find at TAM among all those blood/flesh somatic types.

  8. I would sell my right leg to be able to go, but sadly, no one seems to want it.

    Anyone looking to pick up a slightly used right leg, former decathlete, good condition?

  9. Will the Skepchick bloggers be indentifieable as such? Maybe wearing a badge or something with their Gravatar on it?

    I know some of you (such as Rebecca, Teek and Maria) by site, but others, not so much.

  10. RSLancastr, that’s a good point! I’ll have to check to see if I have Skepchick badges left…otherwise, bloggers can feel free to link to pictures of themselves and I can edit them into the post!

  11. “I know many of you can’t attend this super fun event, so I’ll be blogging…”

    Is this sort of like “I know many of you haven’t won the lottery, so I’ll be telling you all regularly how awesome it is?” :)

    (Point of more serious skeptical fact though: many people that win lotteries actually end up miserable, paranoid, and even bankrupt as a result)

  12. “Second of all, why do you live in a cave, and what’s your rent?”

    It’s cool in the summer, warm in the winter.

    About $0.88 /hour.

  13. While you folks are partying, I’ll be dealing at the Flamingo poker room Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. ’til 4 or 5 in the morning. I’ll be the one in the white dress shirt, marked “Steve”. Come say hi?

  14. i’m quivering with the anticipation of having my tam cherry popped. i do hope you’ll all be gentle with me ;)
    as far as finding me, you should know that my hair is no longer purple. it’s this sort of greenish-blue iridescent peacocky color.

    see you there!

  15. Starving PhD student here. Well, that’s a little rich as I’m currently eating peanuts and drinking coffee (approx 80% of the standard PhD’s day) but still, no TAM for me. Unless one of you skepchicks needs a manservant for the duration and fancies flying me across the pond?… no?…. damn. How much can you get for selling your hair?

  16. While you folks are partying, I’ll be dealing at the Flamingo poker room Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. ’til 4 or 5 in the morning. I’ll be the one in the white dress shirt, marked “Steve”. Come say hi?

    Cool!

    I was just putting together my poker stake for the weekend. It’s not much, considering the cost of the conference and the airfare this year, but I will be playing at some point.

    I’ll look for you.

  17. Hey poker players – there is a JREF poker tournament being organized by my own hubby, with some of the rake going to JREF. It’s on Thursday afternoon, come find me or the giant dude who will likely be next to me if you want to sign up. I will take all of your money with great pleasure :)

  18. Oh man, you people are seriously killing me. I’ve been saving my pennies for possible unemployment. If I’m still employed next TAM, I’m dipping into the fund and coming out there.

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